Wanderers goalkeeper Jake Turner paid a special visit to St. Bartholomew's CE Primary School in Westhoughton on Thursday afternoon as part of their Aspirations Week.
The young shot-stopper visited the school's Year Five class who will be receiving a number of talks from different industries and careers, with the 18-year-old taking questions from the pupils about his career to date and his hopes for the future.
The visit was also made in line with Premier League Primary Stars, an initiative which uses the appeal of the Premier League and professional football clubs to inspire children to learn, be active and develop important life skills.
Available to every primary school in England and Wales, it inspires girls and boys aged 5-11 in the classroom, the playground and on the sports field.
Learning is connected to the real world of sport to enthuse pupils when tackling challenging PSHE topics such as resilience, diversity, self-esteem and fair-play.
And as a result of this, professional football clubs such as Wanderers work with teachers to deliver fun, educational sessions in a range of subjects within local partner schools.
Premier League values underpin everything on offer, encouraging children to:
- Be ambitious – work hard and never give up on their goals
- Be inspiring – set a great example to others
- Be connected –work well with others and in a team
- Be fair – treat people equally and think of others
The easy to use resources, which link to the national curriculum, have been developed in partnership with primary school teachers and subject experts, such as the PSHE Association and National Literacy Trust.
Speaking following the visit meanwhile, Mark Johns - headteacher at St. Bartholomew's - said, "We were delighted, in conjunction with Bolton Wanderers Community Trust and their Premier League Primary Stars programme, to welcome Jake to St Bart's.
"He spent time with our children sharing his experiences of what being a professional footballer entails, and he certainly did inspire our children.
"His visit created a tangible buzz that will no doubt continue and grow with the knowledge and skills presented by our other invited guest speakers as part of our Aspirations Week."
For more information on Premier League Primary Stars, please visit www.plprimarystars.com.